DIANE DISHMAN is the undisputed queen of D Magazine. She has been the production director for six years, which means she is single-handedly responsible for putting the magazine together and getting it to the newsstand every month. Lest you think this is an easy task, let us explain: she deals with ad reps who beg for forgiveness when their client’s ad arrives as a vertical instead of a horizontal; she waits patiently, sometimes until 10 at night, for the editorial staff to complete pages during deadline; and she listens carefully to the publisher, who inevitably changes something so last-minute that Diane has to call the printer. And she does it all with a smile. She also makes, hands down, the best rum cake on earth.
Freelance writer LAURA KOSTELNY, after an ill-advised move to Atlanta, recently returned to Dallas to accept a job with Trammell Crow Company—and because she missed Mi Cocina’s queso. In addition to local cuisine, 30-year-old Laura enjoys watching horrible reality TV shows, volunteering for long-shot congressional candidates, hanging out with Managing Editor Jennifer Chininis (pictured left, though Laura swears she had this assignment before she and Jennifer became friends), and running at least 6 miles a day in a desperate attempt to counteract the side effects of the aforementioned queso. She ran her first marathon in Austin in February and makes her debut in D Magazine this month in her story about looking good while sweating on heKaty Trail (p. 86).
HALA HABAL, immediately upon graduation from Baylor University, packed her bags and fled to the Big Apple in pursuit of a journalism career and the greater good of truth. A couple of years and missed MasterCard payments later, she found herself back in Dallas—and working at D Magazine. Since then, Hala has written for various local publications, including the Dallas Business Journal, and she finds her way back to D every now and then (see “The Rise and Fall of Jeff Rogers” on p. 18). Apart from indulging in potato delicacies, Hala travels around the world, looking for trouble.
Dallas native WILLIS WINTERS, AIA, has practiced and written about architecture for 23 years. He is assistant director for the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, where he oversees planning and capital development, including the ongoing $100 million restoration of Fair Park. He has written extensively for Texas Architect magazine and was the principal writer of The American Institute of Architects Guide to Dallas Architecture (1999). He is currently working on The Buildings of Texas, to be published next year. Willis lectures frequently on Dallas architecture and is a regular participant in the annual Preservation Dallas homes tour. This month, he writes about the architecture of SMU in our special report beginning on p. 89.
COLLEEN CASEY is a journalism major at TCU and one of three D editorial interns this spring. After living her entire life in a Chicago suburb, she moved about 1,000 miles away in search of new experiences. Colleen says her time at D has already taught her a lot about magazines, which is good because it’s something she hopes to do in the future. In her free time, she likes to try out new recipes on her boyfriend, shop for antiques, and—like any college student with little spare time—sleep.
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